9 reasons to buy the new iPhone 17e

Apple announced the newest model of its most affordable iPhone, the iPhone 17e, via a press release on March 2, 2026.

Compared to last year’s iPhone 16e, the new iPhone 17e has more base storage, supports MagSafe accessories, and comes in a new pink color, which can appeal to many buyers.

Here are 9 reasons that can help you decide if you’re on the fence about buying the iPhone 17e.

1. 256 GB of base starting storage

Apple refreshed the entire iPhone 17 lineup last year with 256 GB as the base storage option and didn’t exclude the cheaper 17e from this treatment. Even with the same starting price as the iPhone 16e, the new 17e offers double the storage, letting you keep more photos, videos, games, and other files on the device.

2. MagSafe support

The new iPhone 17e supports MagSafe, allowing you to seamlessly align and snap supported wireless chargers, phone stands, wallets, and other accessories to the back of your phone. While MagSafe was introduced with the iPhone 12, its omission from the iPhone 16e was a major drawback, which Apple has addressed with the latest iteration.

3. A new soft pink color

While I love the white/silver models of Apple products, many people think plain white or black is boring. iPhone 17e improves it by adding a gorgeous new light pink color, in addition to the white and black versions (which were the only two color options for 16e).

4. Ceramic Shield 2

Apple didn’t cut corners on front display protection for the iPhone 17e and has used the same Ceramic Shield 2 glass as in the entire iPhone 17 lineup. Apple claims that Ceramic Shield 2 is tougher than any smartphone glass and ‘an Apple-designed coating provides 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation as well as improved anti-reflection to reduce glare.’

5. Improved cellular modem and privacy

iPhone 16e had the Apple-designed C1 5G cellular modem chip. The new iPhone 17e gets the bumped-up C1X chip, which is the same as the iPhone Air, and is supposed to be 2 times faster in cellular data performance than the predecessor. Apple also says that the new C1X chip uses 30 percent less battery than the modem in the iPhone 16 Pro.

Additionally, both the C1 and C1X chips support the new ‘Limit Precise Location‘ privacy feature, which reduces the precision of location data available to cellular networks, so they can only determine your approximate location.

6. Improved wireless fast charging

Just like the iPhone 16e, you can fast-charge your iPhone 17e to 50 percent in about 30 minutes using a 20-watt or higher-power adapter and a USB-C cable. But the real improvement comes in wireless charging, with iPhone 17e supporting the faster Qi2 protocol, delivering up to 15 watts when using a 20W or higher adapter.

Note that iPhone 17 can charge wirelessly at up to 25 watts.

7. A19 chip

The most affordable iPhone in Apple’s current lineup (Apple has retained the iPhone 16, but it costs $100 more than the 17e) gets the powerful A19 chip, which is identical to the one in the iPhone 17. But note that the A19 chip in the iPhone 17e has four GPU cores, while the same-named chip in the iPhone 17 has five GPU cores.

8. Other things

As last year’s iPhone 16e, the new iPhone 17e retains:

• the same size on all parameters (height, width, and depth)
• the same 6.1-inch OLED display with the same brightness levels (800 nits max brightness and 1200 nits peak brightness when viewing HDR content)
• the same battery that Apple claims can support video playback for up to 26 hours
• the same IP68 splash, dust, and water resistance
• the same Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6
• the same emergency features (Messages via satellite, Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside assistance via satellite, and car crash detection)
• almost the same 48MP Fusion Main camera with the same optical zoom options (1x and 2x), and the same video recording capabilities (up to 4K at 60 fps)
• the same TrueDepth front camera, capturing 12MP photos
• Action button
• Apple Intelligence support

9. The same starting price of $599

Apple has not increased the price of iPhone 17e, and the base storage version (256 GB now) still starts at $599. The 512 GB version costs $799.

But note that in some countries, like India, the new iPhone 17e’s price has increased compared to the iPhone 16e, in the same subtle manner as the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup. iPhone 16e started at 59900 Indian rupees, while the 17e starts at 64900 rupees.

Who should buy the new iPhone 17e?

Even though the iPhone 17e lacks a 120Hz high-refresh-rate screen and has the old Face ID notch, which instantly makes the device look dated, it is still a good buy for existing iPhone users looking to upgrade from their iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, or iPhone SE.

Old devices like iPhone 11 lag significantly on iOS 26, something you won’t feel on the new iPhone 17e with the powerful A19 processor. Plus, the new phone is expected to receive at least 5 years of software updates, whereas the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 may not support the upcoming iOS 27, which will be announced in 3 months.

If you’re on iPhone 15, the notch-based design will be a downgrade from the modern-looking Dynamic Island, but if you’re among the few who want Apple Intelligence, the new iPhone 17e could be worth considering.

If you’re on an iPhone 16e, the only reason to upgrade will be the lack of MagSafe.

And if you have an iPhone 16, I don’t think the iPhone 17e is for you. In case you’re on a 128GB model, consider using these tips to manage space, instead of getting the new 17e.

Buy iPhone 17e

Preorders for the new iPhone 17e in the United States start on 4th March 2026, at 6:15 AM Pacific Time. And the first customers will start receiving it on 11th March. You can order it at apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-17e/

Will you be buying one for yourself or a family member?

Also, check out: 7 things to love about iPhone 17

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/03/02/iphone-17e-pros/